


That Mortician; Desires

by PandoraButler



Series: That Butler Series [2]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Adrian Crevan - Freeform, Anderson Rivers, Backstory, Black Butler - Freeform, Book of Atlantic, Emotional, F/M, Kuroshitsuji - Freeform, M/M, Pandora Hearts - Freeform, The Undertaker needs love, Vincent shouldn't be dead, boa - Freeform, follows manga kinda, good luck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2019-02-09 16:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12892401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PandoraButler/pseuds/PandoraButler
Summary: The Undertaker fell in-love with Vincent Phantomhive from the moment he first laid eyes on him. He was thrilled when the two got closer. He was depressed when Vincent married Rachel. His unrequited love consumed him, even after Vincent died. There is nothing more to be done, or is there? Yes, there always is. The Undertaker must get his revenge, he must kill the individual that stole his Vincent from him. He must destroy Michael.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the prequel to That Butler; Secrets and takes place before that story. Although, I recommend reading that story before this one even if chronologically that's backwards.

_"I've completed the required soul reaping," the silver-haired reaper placed the pile of paperwork on his higher up's desk before turning to leave._

_"Hold on, Adrian."_

_"Yes, Sir?" the reaper turned back and looked into the eyes of his boss._

_"Congratulation on your reaping recently! You're going to be moved to a different office," the reaper placed his hand on Adrian's shoulder while congratulating him on his promotion._

_"A promotion, Sir? I haven't even been working here that long," the reaper sounded unsure of this information._

_"Nonsense! You have worked harder and longer than any of the new reapers! This is a fine reward for someone of your skill. Keep it up and you might become one of the big-wigs!"_

_Adrian gave a small 'thanks' before moving onto his next mission. He was the only reaper who hadn't come from any special academy or anything like that._ _It was just him._ _It had always _ _been just him. _ _No friends or colleagues to call friends_ _._ _That's why he could always concentrate on his work._ _No distractions._ _No interruptions._ _He didn't remember much from_ _before  _ _he was a reaper, only what came after he started his job. Sometimes, he would think about that, about what it was like_ _ before _ _. He would fantasize during the tedious hours of work._

_"Who is next?" Adrian muttered to himself while sitting on top of a roof. He was looking down at all the humans. There was one in particular that caught his eye. He looked young but not too young. He was probably still in school. Bluish-black_ _hair, brown eyes, and a beauty mark under his left eye._

_"He is quite handsome," Adrian smiled to himself. The appointed collecting time hadn't come yet._ _Unless, no, it can't be, that's terrible! He is so young (and handsome)._ _This was the first time that Adrian didn't want to collect someone's soul. He hadn't even met this guy before but, somehow, he didn't want to watch him die. How was he going to go against his job? Surely there would be some consequence._

_Now was not the time to think about consequence._ _Now was the time to act._ _Adrian took out a pink bookmark and began changing the life of this guy. His death was not set in stone, so, Adrian was able to change it. No, even if it was set in stone Adrian would still find a way to break the rule of fate. _ _That man would not die in a carriage crash this night._

_Adrian continued to protect that man. He kept extending his life. Eventually, his superiors found out about the reaper's constant meddling. He was severely reprimanded time and time again, b_ _ut that did not stop him from changing things._ _He continued down the path of experimenting with human life. His fellow reapers no longer thought of him as a studious worker; instead, they feared him for changing the ways they were accustomed to._

_"You've changed Adrian."_

_"What kind of nonsense are you going on about now? Just get to work and do it properly!"_

_"What kind of crazy reaper did I get in my division?"_

_Eventually, his fellow workers began to loathe him._ _The reaper who was above all reapers, the one who had become known for his countless collections, became hated for his interest in human life._ _What had started out as an innocent hobby became a mutilated obsession. Adrian no longer thought of how to preserve the human life; instead, he became fascinated in the ways a human could die._

_He forgot his original goal and neglected his reaping duties to travel the earth. He brought only a few things with him when he left the Grim Reaper Association, (because he only had a few things to begin with)._

_His scythe, his research, and his glasses._

_The one thing that hadn't changed was his interest in that one human...the one that had started his downfall..._

_The one who we have come to know today as Vincent Phantomhive._


	2. That Mortician; Impulse

Adrian was sleeping in an alleyway for lack of anything better to do. Part of his research on humans was to do things even the outcasts did, (which rationalized his weird sleeping places). He had been wandering the world for quite some time now. His hair became unruly and his dark nails long. If someone from the reaper society saw him now they would surely look twice before recognizing him.

"Where should I go today?" he muttered before standing up. He cracked his back and stretched before searching around for his bundle of things. Whilst putting on his glasses he noticed something from the corner of his eye. Could it really be  _that_  human?

Adrian walked over (stealthily) towards him. The human had grown older and seemed to be wearing a college uniform. Adrian couldn't tell which school the uniform was from. Two others were standing by him, one guy was smiling and the other looked really serious. The serious male had dark hair and thick eyebrows. The smiling guy was blonde-ish and had some stubble on his chin. Had he forgotten to shave or was he trying to look like that? Who were these people? Were they friends of some sort?

Adrian looked from afar whilst silently wishing he could casually talk to  _that_  human like they did. Currently, all he could do was hide in the shadows (in this case behind a building) and stare. As he continued to watch the strange conversation between the three, the blueish-black haired beauty looked at him. But, was he really looking at him? Adrian couldn't tell. There was no reason for him to stare at Adrian. The two had never met before. In fact, the last time Adrian was this close to him, he was still with the reapers.

Sure enough, the beauty-mark wonder was looking at  _him_. Adrian quickly hid himself in a nearby crate, (that was where he hid his stuff while he was sleeping). The footsteps, of who he could only assume was Mr. Beauty-Mark, ran towards him. He overheard the soft panting of the college student.

"What are you doing running off like that?!" a voice said, possibly one of his friends.

"Are you mad!?" the other said.

"I thought for sure that..." Mr. Beauty-Mark's voice rang out. He was tired and panting but his voice still seemed to be ever so pleasant. It was the first time Adrian had heard him speak. The silver-haired reaper just became more jealous of his friends. They were so privileged to be around someone like Mr. Beauty-Mark.

"Thought for sure that what?"

"Well I mean there was someone here just a minute ago," Mr. Beauty-Mark complained. It wasn't unusual for someone to see a reaper. Most of the time reapers would blend into the crowd so that no one would suspect they weren't human. Unfortunately, Mr. Beauty-Mark was different. He could sense things that weren't human, (even if he didn't realize that they weren't). Perhaps it was a trait he picked up after all the times Adrian had extended his life.

Adrian felt his heart race. Mr. Beauty-Mark had noticed him! That could be a good or a bad thing. Adrian smiled to himself before the air changed around him. His reaper senses were tingling. Something was wrong. But, what? 

Adrian overhead the sound of shingles falling off a nearby roof. He noticed that his reaper book was glowing, that couldn't be good, was fate trying to kill Mr. Beauty-Mark again? A glow like that could only mean someone's fate had changed. Without another second to lose, Adrian acted. He jumped out of the crate and tackled Mr. Beauty-Mark to protect him from whatever was about to fall off the roof.

"I told you there was someone here!" Mr. Beauty-Mark said. Adrian had acted before he thought about his actions, so he didn't realize that was was now lying on top of the male he had just saved. He also didn't realize that he was hugging his waist or that his face was on the human's chest.

"I appreciate that you saved me just now but if you hug me any tighter, Diedrich will surely start to blush," Mr. Beauty-Mark smiled brightly down at Adrian, (who had just lifted his head to figure out his surroundings). The reaper had finally noticed the strange position they were in and quickly provided space. He sat on the ground and stared at his hands. How was he going to explain himself now?! Various excuses ran through his mind as to why he was hiding in a crate or why he was even staring at Mr. Beauty-Mark in the first place. He had absolutely no idea what to say first. 

"You don't need to be so frightened. I know Diedrich has a terrible face but you'll get over that soon, I'm sure. He has lived with it his entire life and he is doing just fine..." Mr. Beauty-Mark patted Adrian's head. The reaper let out a small laugh at the statement and was filled with a sense of calmness.

"Can you stop trying to make me seem like a buffoon?" 'Diedrich' said. The man next to him could hardly contain himself and broke out into a fit of laughter, this earned him a glare from Diedrich. Meanwhile, Mr. Beauty-Mark offered his hand to help Adrian up. The reaper was about to accept it but he noticed someone from the reaper's society in the street closeby. Adrian quickly stood up and gathered his things before running off. He heard the mumbled confusion of Mr. Beauty-Mark and his two friends. Adrian cursed under his breath. He hadn't introduced himself properly and now his favorite human was going to think he was a weirdo for running off like that! But, there was nothing to do now. He must run from the reapers or they'll attempt to bring him back. Adrian simply couldn't go back! Not while he still had research to do!

...

The silver-haired reaper was hiding in an abandoned warehouse. He wasn't sure if he was spotted or not. He wasn't even sure how long or how far he had been running. The only thing he was thinking about now was his favorite human. Adrian paused his thoughts temporarily when he overheard voices nearby. He quickly hid behind the nearest thing he could.

"I'm telling you he went in here!"

"I saw him go over there!"

"You realize that if we don't find him someone else will get the bounty."

"He is a deserter! Why are we wasting our time anyway?"

Adrian overheard two or three different voices. He wasn't planning to make himself known and had hoped that maybe they would forget they saw him. That was the plan anyway, but plans change, especially since he saw Mr. Beauty-Mark.

Adrian was confused, to say the least. There was no reason for Mr. Beauty-Mark to be anywhere  _near_  this spot. Adrian closed his eyes and thought for a reason that might make sense. Why would he come to such a place at such a time? There had to be some explanation besides the fact that he might've followed Adrian! Wait. Why wasn't he hearing voices anymore? Why had they stopped talking to one another? Adrian opened his eyes. What was going on?

"Hey, isn't that the guy we saw with the deserter?"

"I think you're right!"

"We know he is around here somewhere so let's use this human as a hostage! That'll be sure to bring him out!" The reapers grabbed Mr. Beauty-Mark and began yelling threats to Adrian. It was all a bunch of empty threats to try and get his attention. They worked. The reaper would do  _anything_  to keep this human alive.

Adrian slowly walked out from his hiding place. There were three reapers. Two of them were holding Mr. Beauty-Mark and the third one had a trainee-scythe to his neck. "You come with us quietly," he began, "we get our reward, and he gets to live a little longer," the one holding the weapon spoke. His voice wasn't that menacing but Adrian knew he meant business. All reapers meant what they said since none of them found joy in useless conversation.

The silver-haired reaper placed his scythe on the ground cautiously. He didn't want them to think he was going to fight back. "I will go with you," Adrian said. "Please release the human."

"Don't just turn yourself in like that!" Mr. Beauty-Mark whined. "That is  _so_ unmanly...." Adrian blinked a couple of times in shock. This human really didn't seem to worry much about the situation he was in. Not only did he not seem to care, but he was criticizing the guy trying to help him! What a weird fellow...

The reaper holding the scythe walked over to Adrian to tie him up while the other two kept a good grip on Mr. Beauty-Mark. It was impossible to tell if Adrian was serious about turning himself in. This could just all be a bluff to help save the human he held dear. These reapers weren't stupid. They knew very well that this 'Adrian' was no ordinary guy. However, in their cautious attempt toward Adrian Crevan, they forgot the human entirely.

Mr. Beauty-Mark kicked the reaper holding him hostage and punched the other one in the face. The reapers cried out in pain before being knocked unconscious with another couple of attacks. The reaper with the weapon turned back towards the human and threw his small scythe at him. Adrian, once again, acted before the thought, and protected his human. The scythe was moving too quickly to avoid it entirely. Adrian had been sliced right across the face. The blood was falling into his eyes and his glasses were thoroughly shattered. The glass from the lenses was caught in the wound making it all the more painful, not that Adrian was paying attention.

Adrian stood there quietly. He didn't cry out in pain or even flinch after being struck. The scythe fell to the ground and the reaper who threw it backed away. Adrian could only imagine what he looked like at the moment. The other two had finally started opening their eyes and regaining consciousness. The first thing they saw was Adrian's face now covered in blood. They ran away in terror apologizing profusely to him along the way.

Adrian turned back to Mr. Beauty-Mark and smiled weakly. The realization that he had been wounded started to sink in. Adrian quickly struggled to try and cover his face with his hair but Mr. Beauty-Mark stopped him and took his hand. He began leading him out of the warehouse.

"We need to get you to a doctor." Adrian pulled back his hand and shook his head. Mr. Beauty-Mark stared at him confused.

"There might be more of them hanging around somewhere. I don't want you to get attacked again just because you're with me," Mr. Beauty-Mark nodded, understanding. He didn't know much about the situation but the least he could do was comply with that.

"Wait here," he said before leaving. Adrian sat where he stood. How could he have been so stupid?! He got his favorite human caught up in this mess! How did Mr. Beauty-Mark even end up here? Adrian should be grateful that he didn't ask too many questions about why the reaper was being followed in the first place.

The human returned carrying some first aid supplies, "I'm not exactly the best when it comes to this stuff but we can't just leave you like that..." Mr. Beauty-Mark said and removed the hair that was covering Adrian's face. He held it back with a hairclip so he could tend to the wound.

"By God..." the human said in disbelief.

"Is it that bad?" the reaper questioned. He was slowly becoming very self-conscious. His face didn't feel worse than any of the other wounds he had gotten over the years, so he really didn't know how terrible it looked.

"Your eyes are extraordinary! I've never seen anything like them!" Adrian blushed lightly although it was hard to tell with the blood covering his face. The reaper was glad that Mr. Beauty-Mark didn't find them creepy.

Mr. Beauty-Mark carefully removed the glass shards and wiped away the blood. Reapers heal faster than humans so, for the most part, it wasn't bleeding as badly anymore. Mr. Beauty-Mark continued his first aid treatment and tried his best to stitch up the wound. He was no doctor but he did his best.

"I do hope that I haven't ruined your beautiful face..." he sighed.

Adrian smiled. "I'm sure you did fine...my face wasn't all that great anyway. More importantly, it is getting late! Shouldn't you be leaving?" Adrian noticed the darkness of the sky.

"Oh, you're right! I almost forgot my original goal!" Mr. Beauty-Mark smiled. "The whole reason I followed you around all day was to ask you your name!"

Adrian stared in confusion. Mr. Beauty-Mark followed him despite the danger it put him through just for his  _name_? For such a silly thing like  _that_? The reaper chuckled before answering, "My name is Adrian Crevan," he answered.

"Well, Adrian," he said while standing up. "I do hope that we meet again!" Mr. Beauty-Mark left for good that time. Adrian smiled to himself. He had finally gotten his wish to talk to his favorite human.

Little did he know that was not the last encounter he would have with 'Mr. Beauty-Mark'.


	3. That Mortician; Yearning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please keep in mind that reapers are humans who have committed suicide. Do not be surprised if something really depressing occurs.

****_"This will be your new servant," a voice said. A boy, named Leic, turned around to look at where the voice had come from. It was his father speaking. Leic looked at the said ‘servant.’ The other boy was about the same height, had very long grey hair, and a girlish physique._

_"Who is that?" the boy spat. He’d tried very hard to get rid of all the potential servants. Having a servant meant that your parents would abandon you for good. They wouldn't take care of you, or spend time with you. Having a servant was something he didn’t wish. He’d never wish it. Being left behind was the worst curse, it would just confirm his already subconscious idea that he was unwanted, unneeded, and unloved._

_"His name is Anderson Rivers. We bought him from some slave traders in town. He is a hard worker and will do anything you ask...so please...give him a try," the father pleaded. Since this new boy came from slave traders, and is not used to fighting back, there was a chance that he won't leave no matter how terribly he was treated. His life here would be much better than anything it would’ve been otherwise, so, obviously he would try to stay in this household to the best of his ability._

_Leic nodded reluctantly. He was going to do what he did in the past...keep the new guy around for a week before getting rid of him. Leic would try every trick in the book, if need be, to accomplish his goal._

_The father smiled and left the two children alone. Leic examined his new servant carefully, something seemed strange about him, but he couldn’t tell what._

_"Your name is Anderson?" he asked. The boy didn't respond. "Aren't you going to answer me?" the boy still didn't respond. Leic huffed and started playing with the servant’s hair as he spoke, "Your hair is so long. Are you actually a girl or something?"_

_"I am a boy," he replied simply and softly. The bratty child didn't even hear him at first._

_"So, you can talk!"_

_"A servant should not speak unless spoken to or unless it is necessary for his master's convenience," the boy answered quietly once more._

_"You're actually quite the weirdo...and you smell too! We need to get you cleaned up before you start calling yourself my servant," Leic grabbed the servant's hand and led him to the nearest bathroom._

_"Take off those dirty clothes. Until we get you some of your own stuff you'll just have to wear mine. By the way, my name is Leic," Leic left Anderson for a brief moment to go find some clothes for him. It was difficult to find the right outfit and Anderson was left standing awkwardly in the bathroom, naked, unsure of what he was supposed to be doing until Leic returned._

_"Sit down in the tub and I'll help you scrub off that layer of filth," Leic said as he walked back into the bathroom. Anderson did as he was told and in no time he was thoroughly cleaned. Leic helped him get dressed and brushed his long hair. It was so tangled and full of knots that Leic was half tempted to chop it all off. However, he didn’t. Leic liked the long hair too much to damage it in any way. For some reason, he felt that the hair was entrancing and wanted to keep it around._

_"You don't look that bad when you're clean!" Leic smiled at his handiwork. Anderson just nodded in agreement. He didn’t wish to upset his new master._

_"You're way too quiet. It's okay to speak when you're with me...maybe not around adults since adults are just strange to begin with."_

_"Thank you, Master Leic."_

_"If you talk that quietly I won't be able to hear you!" Leic said. This new servant was proving to be a difficult piece of work. But, Leic felt a connection with him that he hadn’t felt with any of the other servants his father picked out. Maybe this one wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe he could actually enjoy Anderson’s company. Leic sighed. He didn’t want his parents to abandon him, but, if they abandoned him with Anderson perhaps life wouldn’t be completely miserable._

_..._

_"Master Leic, it is time for you to get ready," Anderson spoke. He gently nudged the sleeping Leic who groaned in response._

_"Ugh...just a little while longer...it's been 8 years since you came here, shouldn't you know by now that I don't want to go to those things?" Leic rolled over and cocooned himself in the blanket. He was being difficult, like usual, and Anderson wasn’t going to put up with it, like usual._

_"Master Leic, your father said it was mandatory that you find a suitable partner at this banquet. Please don’t make me tell him you won’t be going. He’ll surely take it out on me," Anderson tried again._

_"This family’s legacy is already dying! We won't survive just because I get hitched!" Leic's words were more true than not. His family was slowly losing their wealth, and soon they would be forced into poverty._

_"For the time being, would you please act the part he wishes you to play? I know it is difficult but this too shall pass. You just have to wait until your family actually loses all of their money," the servant pulled the blanket off of his master in an attempt to get him out of bed._

_Leic groaned, "Fine, but only because you asked me to. I'm not doing this for my father, so don't expect to get rid of me that easily. I doubt any woman would fit my criteria."_

_Anderson smiled at his weird master and threw some fancy clothing at him before saying, "Put that on and we can leave."_

_"Are you making me wear this color again?" Leic complained._

_"I can't help the fact that it looks good on you. You have such an unusual hair and eye color that it's hard to find something compatible," Anderson said. He was providing an excuse, the truth was that he liked the way Leic looked wearing those clothes. It was his own guilty pleasure forcing him to wear them. He just loved Leic's navy hair and wanted other people to love it too._

_"If I have to wear this, then you have to wear this!" Leic tackled Anderson and stripped him of his servant clothing to forcefully dress him in feminine attire._

_"Master Leic!" Anderson struggled underneath his boss._

_"There is no way you are getting out of this one, Andy!"_

_"That's not what I mean! If you're going to force me to wear something, at least let me put it on myself! If someone were to come in while you stripped me of my clothing they would spread rumors! Please think about your position before you act," Anderson huffed. The servant knew very well how impulsive his master could be. The guy never thought about what he did, he just did it._

_"So, you are going to wear it then?" Leic smirked. "Could it be you actually like dressing as a girl? Huh? Are you a little perv, Andy?" Leic poked Anderson's cheek while he teased him._

_"Considering the fact that my master asked me to, and that you are being forced to go the banquet, it is only natural that I should suffer alongside you, right?"_

_Leic stared blankly at Anderson. Did this guy think in terms of servant and master all the time? Something inside Leic hurt when he said things like that. He could never find the reason as to why he was so pained each time Anderson brought up his status._

_"Would you please remove yourself from me? I can't get dressed if you're sitting on me," Anderson spoke. His words brought Leic back to reality. The master stood up and leaned up against the wall while he waited for Anderson to change. The clothing wasn't completely designed for the fairer sex. If Anderson crossdressed that would raise questions about the family. They were already losing their wealth, they didn't need to lose their reputation as well. However, it did make Anderson appear very androgynous._

_The two left for the banquet. It went on till late in the night. Anderson got many compliments about the way he looked that evening. People could never decide on his sex even if they already knew it. As for Leic, he flirted with many women but none of them seemed good enough to marry. His father would get angry with him for not choosing a wife, but he didn't want to marry someone he didn't love, (or someone that didn’t love him)._

_"Master Leic, it is time to return home," a voice spoke. Leic had fallen asleep during the long drunken hours of the banquet and Anderson was trying to wake him up. He opened his eyes slowly, but not until after Anderson had tried every trick in the book. His father and mother had already left hours ago._

_"Andy? Is that you?" Leic spoke with a drunken slur to his words. He wasn't quite with the world yet._

_"Yes, it's me. It’s time to leave. Can you stand?" Anderson offered his support, despite his looks he was actually quite strong._

_"I'm fine," he said, staggering about. Anderson watched as his master almost walked into three walls trying to find his way around._

_"You're never going to find your way back to the house like that," Anderson mumbled trying to lead the drunk Leic back home._

_"You look so much like a girl...if you were a girl I'm sure my dad would stop being such a pain, 'cause I could just marry you," Leic laughed. Of course, he would never be allowed to marry a servant. The whole point of him marrying someone was to marry back into wealth._

_"Wouldn't that be interesting?" Anderson said. "If you could marry me..." Anderson knew of his own feelings towards Leic, somewhere down the line he’d discovered them. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about them. Leic had responsibilities as an heir. Plus, as far as Anderson knew, Leic didn’t feel that way about him._

_"Why can't I? Is there something wrong with marrying you?" Leic pouted. Anderson blushed lightly even though he knew his master didn't realize what he was saying. Why did he have to get drunk tonight? If he was sober Anderson wouldn't be having this ridiculous conversation._

_..._

_Time had passed and Leic's family was finally losing the last of its wealth. Leic's father was becoming more and more forceful to the point where Leic had lost his eye during a fight with him. Leic then started to disappear for weeks or months at a time. Anderson would always be left behind to deal with the parents. They would blame him for not looking after their son properly. He would be beaten and was slowly reverting to his old self...the person that Leic had tried so hard to open up was building walls all over again. Those walls became twice as tall and twice as thick than they were before._

_"I'm back," Leic said, opening the door to his room. When he opened the door he found Anderson lying on the floor and coughing terribly._

_"What happened to you?!" Leic asked. He didn't know of the terrors that Anderson faced each time Leic left. Anderson preferred to keep them secret. He wanted Leic to be free and happy even if it meant that he had to suffer._

_"I'm fine, it's fine," Anderson sat up and smiled._

_"You most certainly are not fine!" Leic noticed some of the bruises peeking out from underneath Anderson's clothes. Most of his clothing hid them well, but he couldn't hide everything._

_"How did you get that bruise?"_

_"I've become clumsy over the years, I'm always hurting myself..." Anderson tried to provide an excuse. Leic wouldn't believe it._

_"That isn't something you get just by falling! Show me. Do you have more?"_

_Anderson tried to talk Leic out of it but Leic refused to listen. So, Anderson took off his shirt to reveal the massive collection of bruises and scars given to him by Leic's father over the past few years. Leic sat silently as he stared at the marks. What should he do? He couldn’t allow Anderson to continue receiving this treatment._

_"It is my dad isn't it?"_

_Anderson remained quiet._

_"Tell me who did this!" Leic glared. He wasn't glaring intentionally at Anderson, he was just so mad and his anger was showing on his face._

_"It's your father," Anderson spoke softly. "He blames me for your absences."_

_"Why didn't you tell me!" Leic snapped._

_Anderson remained silent for a while before answering. He wanted to choose his words carefully. "I know how much you hate it here..." he began. Anderson tried to speak more but the words just wouldn’t come. Even though he hadn’t said much Leic understood completely what he’d meant to say. A pang of guilt flooded Leic. Why hadn't he brought Anderson with him all those times? Was it because of Stephy? No! Anderson was more important than him! Or so he had thought...but if he was...why had the thought to bring Anderson never crossed his mind?_

_No, it isn't like he hadn't thought about it. He just didn't want to bring Anderson into that kind of life. When he disappeared he would live on the streets. He would get himself into all sorts of trouble. He would fight and steal food. It's no wonder he ended up befriending a demon along the way! Leic didn't even know that demons existed ‘till he’d met Stephy._

_"I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry," Leic hugged Anderson. He was filled with many emotions: guilt, regret, and despair. He wanted nothing more than to somehow change the past so that this had never happened._

_"It's okay. I don't blame you. It’s your father who is to blame, and his greed," Anderson said before entering another coughing fit._

_"I am going to kill him," Leic stood up and stormed out. Anderson tried to go after him but he couldn't keep up. He tried his best to follow and prevent this scene but he couldn’t move fast enough._

_"Master Leic! Please! Don't do anything you'll regret!" Anderson yelled after him. Leic ignored his warning and kicked down the door to his father's study. Leic grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the wall._

_"Do you think because I'm not here you can do whatever you want to my servant?" Leic said flatly._

_"Your servant?" his father laughed. "I was the one that got him for you! You didn't even want him in the beginning. He is my servant! I can do what I want to him! Especially since you seem to have no need of this house or him."_

_Leic threw him to the ground and held him in place with his foot._

_"Master Leic! Please stop!" Anderson felt no sympathy towards Leic's father but he would not have Leic killing someone for him. Anderson held Leic's arm and tried his best to calm him down. He failed._

_"No, you're right. This guy doesn't deserve to die so peacefully," Leic smirked. Anderson had never seen him so filled with hatred before. "Stephy can kill him. Stephy can eat his soul or do as he wishes. He doesn’t deserve anything better than that."_

_A dark presence entered the room. 'Stephy' walked in. Anderson had never seen something like him before. He was attractive but terrifying at the same time. He couldn't possibly be human. He couldn’t possibly be good._

_"How do you do? I don't believe we have met yet...might you be 'Anderson?'_ _I'm the one he calls 'Stephy' I'm not human, as you may have figured out by these horns of mine," the stranger said with a smile._

_"You're...beautiful...in a weird way," Anderson couldn't describe him in one word. All of his vocabulary had left him._

_"Stephy, can you kill him for me?" Even though Leic had asked a question, it sounded more like a command._

_"My, my, Leic, you are getting to be quite the demon yourself. I haven't eaten in a while so I don't feel the need to refuse."_

_"Thank you much," Leic grabbed Anderson's hand and led him out of the room. He didn't want Anderson to watch Stephy 'eat.' The sight would be too much for Anderson to handle._

_..._

_It had been a few months since the incident with Leic's father. Anderson's condition was steadily declining. He knew he was just becoming a burden to Leic and it started to bring him down. Stephy didn't understand why Leic was going through all of this trouble to try and help him. This human was going to die a very slow and painful death at this rate._

_"You're becoming such a nuisance to your master. Shouldn't you just kick the bucket already?" Stephy said. He had a way of saying things in the worst form possible. Anderson found it kind of amusing, but today he didn't._

_"You're right. It’s time for me to go. There is no way that I'll get better," Anderson coughed. "If only I wasn't so weak...but I didn't take care of myself when Leic disappeared all those times...there is no way I can improve..."_

_"There really isn't a need for you. He isn't the 'young master' of that family anymore. Why should he keep a servant that can't even take care of himself?"_

_"Nonsense!" Leic interrupted. Anderson and Stephy turned their heads in surprise. They had no idea that Leic had come back. "I don't want to hear anymore of this talk. Anderson is more than just a servant! I will do whatever I can to fix him!"_

_"You've gotten into another fight again..." Anderson observed. There was a cut from a blade along Leic's arm. "Let me bandage it," Anderson sat up to tend to Leic's wound, but Leic refused to let him do anything._

_"No! You have to rest or you'll get worse!"_

_"But at this rate I'll become nothing but a burden! I'm not getting any better! I'm just dying a slow death! At least let me help you!" Anderson pleaded. Leic wasn't going to change his mind._

_"You're already a burden..." Stephy muttered under his breath._

_The days went by and Anderson's will to live steadily decreased. He sank into a state of depression and continued to think about all the ways Leic would be better off without him. This worsened his health and weakened him even more. He started having nightmares and sometimes he would confuse them with reality._

_"Tonight is the night that I leave for good," Anderson mumbled to himself. He had to say it aloud to confirm his resolve. He picked up his rope (that he found months ago at one of the many locations he’d stayed at) and left for the nearest cliff. Jumping off wouldn't ensure that he would die. He’d survived that before when he was younger. Of course, now that he was extremely weak, and walking was even too much for him, he would probably die from it. However, Anderson wasn’t taking any chances. He tied the rope around his neck and fastened the other end to a sturdy looking rock at the top of the cliff._

_"I'm sorry it had to be this way. I wanted to die naturally but the end just never came. If I had been stronger...if I had told you to take me with you the first night you’d left home...maybe this would have ended differently. I'm sorry, Leic. I don't want to trouble you any longer." After speaking his final words to the universe, he jumped. The height along with the length of the rope contributed to his demise and his head was sliced clean off._

_Anderson would never know the grief Leic experienced. He wouldn't know how it’d changed him. Stephy was the only one who would witness the drastic change in character. The demon was never able to figure out if it was his demonic aura that had caused it, or if it was the grief that Leic couldn’t cope with. Perhaps it was both._

_Anderson never lived long enough to confess his feelings to Leic and Leic would soon fall in-love with the demon that was there to comfort him._

_~...~_

_"It looks like we have another new recruit!" a voice said._

_The silver-haired male opened his eyes and looked up. Where was he? Who was he? And why was he here?_

_"Oh you're awake! Do you know your name?"_

_The male thought long and hard but a name never came to him...he only remembered that it started with an 'A'._

_"I don't remember..."_

_"Well, from now on, your name is Adrian Crevan. Welcome to the Dispatch Society. You're a reaper now, son," the guy offered his hand to help him up. Adrian's new life would begin here, with no memories of his past._

...

Adrian opened his eyes. He’d fallen asleep in his new funeral parlor. The reapers had decided to finally leave him alone and his best option was to become a funeral director. This job allowed him to continue his study of humans, and more specifically their deaths. Occasionally, he would steal an organ or two from his ‘guests’ to experiment. Any clue was a good clue to him.

Adrian yawned and placed a hand on the scar around his neck. When he’d started having dreams of the man known as 'Anderson Rivers' the scar appeared. He never could remember the dreams fully. He only remembered bits and pieces of them.

The door to his shop opened and a bluish-black haired male walked in.

"Hello, and welcome to my humble shop," Adrian looked at the man. He seemed familiar somehow. Leic? No, it can’t be him because Leic was just from his dreams. The Undertaker blinked a couple of times. His eyes  _had_  to be playing tricks on him. Maybe it was time to get his eyes checked out. They were clearly missing the comfort of his glasses. Was that? No, could it be?  _Mr. Beauty-Mark?_


	4. That Mortician; Fancy

"Are you the undertaker?" the man asked as he looked around. This funeral parlor wasn't the strangest one he'd seen; however, it certainly wasn't the most attractive one either. It's not often that one goes into a funeral parlor, so, one shouldn't really care too much about what it happens to look like. 

"Indeed," Adrian stared at him intently. He still wasn't sure if this was the same man. Something had changed about him. His aura, maybe? Perhaps his clothing? Whatever it was  _something_  was different. There was also the small chance that Mr. Beauty-Mark didn't remember him. Adrian tried his best not to think about it. A lot of time had passed since the two had met. Okay, not  _that_ long, but time had passed that's for sure. 

"I came to ask you about one of your clients. The one for the funeral tomorrow," he said. Of course he did. Why would he come because he remembered Adrian? Naturally the world didn't work like that. This guy is dressed too well, has changed too much, to remember his schooling days and a man he met  _once_. 

Adrian chuckled, which was something he hadn't done in quite some time. The reaper couldn't help but laugh at himself. He had gotten his hopes up. He had wanted to be remembered so much by this human who couldn't care less about him. 

"I'm sure you know that I can't disclose any information regarding my clients. Families have been known to get mad at me before," Adrian didn't care about all of that. If he did care, he wouldn't steal organs from the bodies he buried, but for the sake of keeping up appearances he had to lie now and then. Besides, he didn't wish his conversation with Mr. Beauty-Mark to end so quickly.

"The rules are a little different with me, don't you know who I am?" Mr. Beauty-Mark's eyes twinkled with amusement. It had been a while since someone defied what he asked. But, why wouldn't Adrian know who he was? He had only been stalking him most of his life.

"Of course, you're a high class male who thinks I'll give you what you want," Adrian replied. He wasn't wrong, but he also knew that he  _would_  end up giving him what he wanted in the end.

Mr. Beauty-Mark gasped, "You mean, you won't?" he said in an melodramatic way.

The undertaker crawled out of the coffin he had fallen asleep in, (yes he really did do that) and stood up to look in the eyes of Mr. Beauty-Mark. The man couldn't see Adrian's eyes because of his long fringe but Adrian could see his just fine. "I might consider it but it'll come with a price," he said.

"What kind of price?"

Adrian hadn't expected him to agree so quickly, (he hadn't thought that far ahead). He should've expected this rich-looking man to be confident he could pay up. However, the reaper didn't want or need money. So, what would he request?

"A laugh," the undertaker pointed at Mr. Beauty-Mark and grinned. "It will cost you a laugh. If you can't make me laugh, then I won't tell you what you want to know." He'd decided. He'd actually decided! However, he knew that deep down it was a lie. Even if Mr. Beauty-Mark couldn't make him laugh, he would still reveal the information. But, like previously stated, Adrian didn't want to have this interaction end. Who knows the next time he'd be able to see him?

Mr. Beauty-Mark stared blankly at the reaper for a few seconds before smiling. He accepted the challenge. The blue-haired male leaned on his cane and closed his eyes. Adrian assumed he was thinking of a joke to tell. Nothing could've prepared Adrian for what happened next.

"There once was a woman from Heath  
who circumcised young men with her teeth  
she said with a grin  
it's not for the skin  
but rather for the cheese underneath."

Adrian fell to the ground laughing. He briefly attempted to contain his laughter, but found it futile. He wasn't laughing because it was funny, (although it was kind of funny) but because it was so out of character! Who would have thought someone like Mr. Beauty-Mark would say something like  _that_? It didn't even take him a long time to come up with it!

"Well, I have fulfilled your wish, will you tell me what I want to know?" Mr. Beauty-Mark stated simply.

"Ah, right, the one for tomorrow?" the reaper managed to speak in-between laughs but was still rolling around on the floor. He doubted that he'd ever be able to laugh this hard again.

"Wait a second," Mr. Beauty-Mark mumbled. "Have we met before?" the man knelt down to get a better look at the reaper. Adrian sat up and stared back at him. Had he remembered? Adrian tried to contain himself. He didn't want to get his hopes up for the second time. 

The bluish-black haired male leaned in closer to the undertaker. Adrian thought for sure he had been found out, but it was impossible to tell. Mr. Beauty-Mark wasn't exactly easy to read. In fact, he was probably the hardest person to read in existence. 

The man took his hand and moved away some of Adrian's hair to get a better look at him. The second he saw the reaper's eyes, realization hit him.

"You're Adrian Crevan, aren't you?! That strange fellow that was following me around during my days at Weston!"

"Ah, well..." Adrian couldn't find the words to reply. He wasn't sure if he had the right to feel offended at the fact he was remembered as a stalker.

"I should've known it was you! Your silvery-grey hair should've given it away...but I would never forget those eyes!" Mr. Beauty-Mark seemed happy about this reunion, ecstatic actually. "There were so many things I wanted to ask you about that day, but I could never find you again! I thought for sure they had finally caught you or something of that sort. Will you be disappearing again? You won't, right?" the male's concern showed right on his face. For someone who was generally so hard to read, he must be  _really_  worried about Adrian disappearing into thin air.

Adrian was too lost in his own mind to respond. The human he had kept alive for so long had actually missed him! It didn't seem real, that after such a brief meeting, he would be remembered all of these years. In his amazement, he had barely heard a word of whatever Mr. Beauty-Mark had said. Silence had surrounded them before Adrian finally heard the words hovering in the air.

"I'm an undertaker now, so I must go where the dead take me, but I'm sure it won't be hard to find a shop that stands out as much as mine."

"No, I'm sure it won't be hard to spot at all, Mr. Undertaker," Mr. Beauty-Mark laughed but his lighthearted expression didn't last, he quickly reverted back to the serious man that entered the shop earlier.

"Don't you think it's time you told me what happened back then? Who are you really? Why were you following  _me_? Why were they following  _you_?"

Adrian got up from off the floor. He closed the coffin he'd been sleeping in and sat on it. The reaper gestured for Mr. Beauty-Mark to sit too. "Tell me," he began, "do you believe in Grim Reapers?"

...

"So, you're actually someone who is pretty cool?" Mr. Beauty-Mark said.

"Are you saying I wasn't cool before?"

"Well, I mean, I never would've thought you were some fancy reaper guy. That's for sure," Mr. Beauty-Mark laughed.

"Carefully avoiding the question I see, Mr. Beauty-Mark," Adrian sighed. He shouldn't be surprised at the fact that Mr. Beauty-Mark thought he was lame. In truth, he was lame. 

"'Mr. Beauty-Mark?'"

It was that moment, that Adrian Crevan realized, he done messed up.

"Ah! No, ignore that! I didn't mean to say that out loud!" the reaper flailed his arms around embarrassed trying to swat the nickname away.

"Oh ho?~ Is that what you called me all this time? Here you are some upper-class reaper and you never even found out my name? Don't they tell you that in the reports for who is supposed to die?" he teased. Adrian blushed. He'd never thought to look for his name in the reports! He was too busy trying to extend his life all the time that he never looked at the name, just the picture!

"What if you had changed the fate of the wrong person and ended up killing me instead? You aren't very reliable, are you Mr. Undertaker?" he laughed some more as Adrian continued to go red with embarrassment.

"Still, I can't believe I never introduced myself! How rude of me to go all this time knowing your name while you called me 'Mr. Beauty-Mark'," the male stood up and bowed slightly before the undertaker.

"How do you do? My name is Vincent Phantomhive. I'm soon to be the Earl Phantomhive. I'll become the guard-dog to the queen as so many other Phantomhives before me. We're making a comeback in rank but I can't brag about it. I don't have a fabulous backstory like you, Adrian," the soon-to-be earl smiled.

"So  _that's_  why you came barging into my shop demanding answers like some rich impatient brat!" the reaper understood now. Naturally, someone who was to be an  _earl_  would have a scary reputation and get what they ask immediately.

"How rude!" Vincent pouted, "I wasn't an impatient brat! I was just surprised you hadn't heard of me already. It's all people have seemed to talk about recently! That reminds me, you never  _did_  give me any information on that body! I even went through the trouble of paying you too!"

"Yes, yes, I'll get you the file, Your Highness," the undertaker left the room to go get the folder containing the information on that particular client. He always kept the information on everyone he had performed a funeral for, (habits from his time as a reaper).

"Here it is," he said handing the copy to Vincent.

"How is there so much on one person?!"

"I'm not like the other morticians. I do very serious post mortems. And, what the body doesn't tell me, I find out through the reapers that still feel like keeping in touch," Adrian smiled proudly.

"One hell of an undertaker," Vincent smiled back. "This could be the start of a very useful friendship," the soon-to-be earl exited the shop. The door closed and the undertaker was left in his shop alone. He grinned at the empty room.

Adrian enjoyed the idea that he would actually see this human more frequently; however, something in the back of his mind warned him not to get too close. He felt a strange sense of danger coming from him, but ignored it. It couldn't turn out to be worse than anything he had already faced, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just /had/ to use a dirty limerick.  
> I had to.  
> It was in my blood.  
> Originally, I was going to use Sebastian's but I figured The Undertaker wouldn't laugh at the same joke twice.  
> Well, he might if Sebby reminded him of Vince...but what is done is done.


	5. That Mortician; Covets

"Say...Undertaker, do demons also exist?" Vincent asked. He was sitting on one of the coffins in the funeral parlor. Ever since he had reunited with Adrian he was coming by almost everyday. The two had gotten pretty familiar with each other over the past few weeks.

"Demons? Why?" Adrian asked while playing with some of his bone cookies, (as one does, you know?).

"Hm, well, can I tell you a secret?" Vincent questioned.

"I've practically told you  _all_  of my secrets, I think it's only fair."

"I actually wasn't born into the Phantomhive family, you know? I was adopted. I lived on the streets for a while until I realized I needed money to protect someone. I had to become famous!"

"Why on earth would you do something like that?"

"Why would you extend the life of someone you couldn't even talk to?"

"Point taken," the reaper popped one of the cookies into his mouth. "So, who is that person? The one you needed the money for?"

"Well, I don't actually know. I haven't talked to him. I've just been a shadow all these years," Vincent sighed.

"And  _you_  make fun of  _me_  for being  _your_  shadow? Hypocrite," Adrian pouted.

"I only do it because it's fun!~" the soon-to-be earl teased.

"Right."

"Anyway, I am sure that he isn't a human. He doesn't have your chartreuse phosphorescent eyes, so, he has to be a demon, right?"

"Those are two big words for someone like you. Did you start reading the dictionary again because you wanted to seem smart? What makes you so sure he is a demon? You haven't given me any proof for this outlandish idea."

"I've been stalking him since I was a toddler and he hasn't aged a day! He has to be  _something_  supernatural and I'm positive angels wouldn't do half of the things he does daily," Vincent explained, ignoring the comment about his intelligence.

"I haven't met a demon in my time as a reaper, but I know they exist," the undertaker replied. He had a feeling in his gut that told him they were real. But, he didn't know why that feeling existed. 

"How do you know that if you haven't met one?"

"I just know," Adrian frowned. Did Vincent not believe him?

"Right," Vincent said, noticing the reaper clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"Well, I brought this up because my adoptive parents have made me live on my own since Weston. Maybe it's time for me to finally talk to this demon. He has been in such a mood lately that it's hard to clean up after him," Vincent sighed thinking about all the mysterious disappearances he had to cover up recently.

Adrian stared at the soon-to-be earl, something about this scenario seemed familiar. The reaper couldn't place why though, he just felt it.

"If I do get the chance to talk to him, will you meet him?"

The undertaker choked on his bone cookie, "W-what? You want your stalker to meet the person you stalked?" It did sound a little silly.

"Well, yes."

"Reapers and demons don't exactly get along, I doubt we will all become a happy little friendship club, if that is what you're expecting. My God, you are such a strange individual Vince," Adrian shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, you aren't a reaper anymore, so it doesn't matter, does it?" Vincent laughed.

...

The door opened to the funeral parlor and a dark presence filled the room. The undertaker knew right away that Vincent had brought along his demon friend.

"How do you do? I don't believe we have met before. He calls me 'Michael'"

The undertaker flinched at that greeting. He distinctly remembered hearing it somewhere before, but where? That was the problem. He didn't remember. Words flooded Adrian's mind but he still couldn't grasp what they were trying to say. It took a moment before he was able to remember the original phrase during his time as a human. His memories were returning completely now.

 _"_ _How do you do? I don't believe we have met yet...might you be 'Anderson?'_   _I'm the one he calls 'Stephy' I'm not human, as you may have figured out by these horns of mine."_

The reaper turned to look at the demon. He had the same red eyes and dark hair, but his appearance had changed drastically, (as did Adrian's over the years). There was no visible way to connect the two demons, but Adrian knew it was him. It  _had_  to be Stephy. He couldn't prove it but he felt part of the reason Leic left him behind was because of this  _demon_. There was absolutely no fiber of his being that wanted to be friends with this creature.

"I'm The Undertaker," he responded. Michael looked at him perplexed, it was obvious that wasn't his name, but he didn't ask any questions.

_"Michael, can you kill him for me?"_

Adrian knew that he'd heard that wrong. His mind was confusing the past with reality. His reaper-self was never supposed to remember his human self's memories. It was against the rules. Someone must be toying with him, to try and force him to remember unnecessary things. But, why would they do that?

_"You're becoming a nuisance. You should just die already."_

The Undertaker shook his head, no, that can't be right. He  _had_  to be hearing this wrong. Vincent would  _never_  say something like that to him.

"Undertaker?" Vincent questioned. Adrian snapped back to reality. Michael and Vincent were both staring at him confused.

"Apologies, did you say something?" he asked.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong? You look a little pale," Michael smiled, but to the reaper it looked like a menacing smirk.

"Hmm? Yes, I am fine. I just zoned out a bit. I haven't gotten much sleep recently because of all the people dying," Adrian glared slightly at Michael. He knew very well that the demon was at fault for all of the deaths recently. Damned demon, eating souls like he was at a buffet. That's not how death is supposed to work in this time period, or in any time period for that matter.

"Don't blame me," Michael frowned. "Did you tell him about me?" he glared at Vincent.

Vincent returned the glare, "How rude! Don't you think other creatures will recognize something that isn't human?"

"There is no need to tell him about me either!" the reaper joined in.

All three of them continued to glare at one another for quite some time until Vincent said, "Ah hah! You blinked first!" he pointed to Michael. The demon looked confused.

" _What_?"

"You heard me. Undertaker had the advantage because of his hair, but don't think you can fool me too, Michael. I can see right through you," the human male said triumphantly. Adrian chuckled slightly. Vincent will always find a way to be perfectly interesting.

Michael pouted, "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

"We should probably be getting back to the manor. I still have to show you your room," Vincent said, changing the subject. 

Michael nodded in agreement. He didn't want to be in this strange funeral parlor any longer. As he was about to start heading towards the door, The Undertaker placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, " _I will not let you take him like you did Leic._ "

Michael's eyes widened in surprise as he heard those words. How did this reaper know about Leic? How did this reaper know about the only human this demon ever cared about? How could such a thing be possible?

The demon took a good long look at the reaper. Something about him seemed  _familiar_. Something had to be. This demon thought for sure he knew everything about Leic, so who was this reaper? He had to know, somewhere in his mind he must know, Leic would never keep anything from him.

_Of course._

Michael's brain finally put the pieces together. It had been so long that he'd forgotten the reason Leic grew feelings for the him in the first place.

_Anderson Rivers._

"Y-you...." the demon was shocked and confused. This guy died! How could he be alive? If he was alive, why didn't he tell Leic he hadn't died!? No. Think calmly. Think rationally. This guy's head came flying off. He  _had_  to have died. No human could survive that.

As punishment for suicide, he would have become the reaper standing before him now.

"Do you know what you did to him? Do you  _know_ how much pain you caused him?" the demon's voice roared through the small parlor. He was angry but grateful at the same time. If the reaper hadn't died the demon wouldn't have gotten close to Leic, but he could not forgive the pain he brought upon his precious human.

Adrian brought his hand up to the scar on his neck. He didn't realize he was doing it when he did it. This had become a habit for him ever since it appeared. "I know," his voice cracked, "I guess it was a good thing you were there, wasn't it? But, let me tell you something right now  _demon_ ," Adrian grabbed the arm of Vincent and forced him close. "I'm not 'Anderson Rivers'. I'm  _The Undertaker._  I let you have Leic, but if you ever do  _anything_ to harm this human, _I **will**  come after you._"

The Undertaker smiled and his eyes showed themselves through his long hair. His expression was similar to that a demon itself could make,  _menacing_. If you couldn't see the glowing eyes, you would mistake it for a welcoming grin, but the eyes told you otherwise. There was no emotion in them but pure blood-lust.

The demon knew he meant business and felt a chill run down his spine. This wasn't the same person he once knew. That didn't scare him, no, he was a demon. Nothing could  _scare_  him, but something inside Michael  _warned_  him. This man could end up killing him one day.

"Okay, ladies, cat-fight is over. I am still here," Vincent broke the silence. "I must admit that I have no idea what this conversation was about, but I would like to inform you two that I'm not an object," Vincent pouted, "I might not be a demon or a reaper but you can't just treat me like I'm not here! That hurts, you know?"

"Right, now, shall we go?" Michael said completely disregarding Vincent's words. He didn't want to be in the same room with this reaper any longer.

"Don't have too much fun without me.~" The Undertaker said waving goodbye. His clothing was so long that he was just waving a sleeve back and forth and not a hand.

"You've had enough fun for one day. Goodbye, my good friend," Vincent said closing the door. The Undertaker chuckled to himself as the door closed. He'd be watching that demon. He'd be watching very carefully indeed...


	6. That Mortician; Lust

_"It looks like we have another new recruit!" a voice said._ _The silver-haired male opened his eyes and looked up. Where was he? Who was he? And why was he here?_

_"Oh you're awake! Do you know your name?" the voice continued speaking to him, but he couldn't come up with an answer. He only remembered that it had started with an 'A.'_

_"I don't remember..."_

_"Well, from now on, your name is Adrian Crevan. Welcome to the Dispatch Society. You're a reaper now, son," the guy offered his hand to help him up. Adrian's new life would begin here...with no memories of his past..._

_"But, who are you? Where am I? I don't understand any of this," the new reaper questioned._

_"You don't need to know any of that stuff. It is of little importance to who you are now. You're Adrian Crevan, a soon-to-be reaper. All you need is a little training from me and you'll be set far from the rest!" the reaper smiled. His hair was white, pure white. It wasn't the silvery-grey color Adrian had. His eyes, or rather eye, was red. It looked, to Adrian, as if he was staring into a pool of blood. Adrian looked around at the people who were shuffling about. They all had the same eyes. If Adrian looked at himself in a mirror, he would notice that his eye color had changed to that of theirs. So, why did this guy have a red eye?_

_"You're quite the observant one. I'm sure you'll get far here. I'm a 'child of misfortune.' My eye is red, but make no mistake, I am a reaper as well," the man smiled. Half of Adrian felt he could trust him. The other half felt he shouldn't._

_"You should be grateful, it isn't everyday that a reaper gets to be trained by the likes of me!" he smiled again. "Be happy that I'm not sending you to the reaper academy where everyone else goes. No, I see great things in you, Adrian."_

_Adrian noticed that as he followed this guy around, people stared at him. They purposefully got out of this man's way. Was it because he was special? Was it because he had a high position in this society? Was it because he was someone to be feared? Perhaps, it was all of the above. Adrian was too young a reaper to know the ways of reapers. He didn't know any better._

_This man continued to train him in the art of collecting until it was time for him to move on. They had grown close, but Adrian's memories would be suppressed. He would think that he was always alone since the beginning. He would forget the strange red-eyed man and move on with his life._

_All he had was his experience and a job to look forward to._

_But, who was that man? Who was the person that first welcomed him to the reaper world?_

_..._

The door to the funeral parlor opened. It had been a while since The Undertaker had gotten a visitor. It just wasn't a good season to die, apparently. If he wasn't a reaper, he would've starved to death with the lack of money he was receiving at the moment. What would it be like to plan an undertaker's funeral? He almost wanted to die just to find out. 

"I already told you, Vincent, that I don't have anyone you're looking for," The Undertaker groaned and rolled over in his coffin. He had gotten used to sleeping in this one and, with the lack of business, he didn't have to get rid of it yet.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Crevan. I'm not Vincent," a voice said. The man leaned over the coffin and smiled at the annoyed ex-reaper. The Undertaker's eyes widened. He didn't remember who this guy was, (in relation to him) but he  _did_  recognize him from all the photos lying around at his old reaper division. "Xerxes Break. Why is someone like  _you_  visiting  _me_? Have things gotten that bad that the reapers need more recruits?"

"It's a pity you don't know who I am, Crevan," he sighed, "but, did you really think that someone could disappear from the organization without any penalty? The others gave up on trying to find you, so I had to get involved."

"I'm not going back, if that's what you're thinking," The Undertaker closed the coffin lid in hopes that Xerxes would disappear when he opened it.

"That's fine, you don't have to," Xerxes raised his voice a little to make sure The Undertaker would hear him, "but until you come back, I'm going to stay here with you."

The door opened once more and, this time, it actually  _was_  Vincent, "Who're you?" he asked.

"I'm the new undertaker," Xerxes said. He sat down on the lid of the coffin The Undertaker was in to keep him from getting out.

"What happened to The Undertaker?"

"I told you, I'm the undertaker now," Xerxes smiled. "Do you have business here?"

The Undertaker punched a hole through the coffin and stuck his head out. He glared at Xerxes and turned to Vincent. "This guy is getting on my nerves. He'll be here for a while, apparently," he explained.

"Are you two brothers or something?" Vincent asked, tilting his head to the side while staring at them.

"Brothers?" they questioned in unison. "What could possibly make you think that?!"

"There is just  _something_  about you two that seems similar. Maybe it's the hats? Or the hair? What about cousins? Are you two related in any way at all?" Vincent tried again.

"There is no possible way that I could be related to him. He is reaper-royalty," The Undertaker explained.

Xerxes hit The Undertaker on the head with his cane. "Minus 10 points for revealing myself and yourself to be a reaper," he hit him with the cane a second time. "Minus 1,000 for extending his life," and he hit him for a third time. "Minus 100 for confessing your life's story. Haven't you learned  _anything_? You really need some sense knocked into you before I take you back."

"I'm not going back," The Undertaker said, rubbing the three bumps on his head.

"'Going back'? You mean he is here to take you back to the other reapers?" Vincent questioned.

"That's the idea, yes," Xerxes said. He stood up and pointed his cane at the soon-to-be-earl before continuing, "But, before I do that, I am going to end your life, Vincent Phantomhive. You have become a hindrance to the system. You shouldn't be alive, and yet, you are. You've made it this far, consider yourself lucky."

The Undertaker jumped out of the coffin and Michael crashed in through the roof. Together the demon and ex-reaper stood on either side of Vincent Phantomhive and glared at the intruder. "You'll have to get through me first," they said in unison. 

"My, my," Xerxes chuckled, "a  _demon_  and a  _reaper_  protecting a  _human_. You have quite the little army, Mr. Phantomhive."

"Now, now, you two, this really isn't the place for an all-out battle," Vincent tried to calm the two down. They refused to listen and continued to glare at the intruder.

"If things are like this all the time, it really isn't the place to raise a family, is it Vincent?" Xerxes said.

"A family? What is he talking about?" Michael asked.

"I would like to know as well," The Undertaker said.

"Oh? You two don't know? Mr. Phantomhive is getting married to Rachel Dalles. He is finally going to become Earl Phantomhive," Xerxes announced. He enjoyed the look of surprise on the two bodyguards' faces.

"And you," Vincent pointed at Xerxes accusingly, "are you planning to make my wife a widow before we're even married?"

"Oh, you're right. I hadn't thought about that," Xerxes looked up at the sky through the hole in the ceiling, (that Michael had made earlier). "That would be very mean of me. Fine, I'll take that into consideration and let the world figure out what to do about your unnatural life," the man smiled. Something in his smile suggested that he knew more than he let on.

Vincent sighed a breath of relief. The demon and ex-reaper also looked a little relieved, but they were still shocked by the news of Vincent's fiancée. The demon had already started pondering the information. He realized that this was the reason why Vincent had been so strange lately. He was probably trying to think of a way to tell him it was time to stop living in his manor.

"Michael, could you go back to the manor? I'm not done here, but thank you for trying to protect me," Vincent smiled.

"Don't forget to fix my roof before you go," The Undertaker grumbled. Michael left the same way he came in, but he conveniently left the roof the way it was, damned demon.

"Demons," The Undertaker complained.

"What 'business' could you possibly have here?" Xerxes questioned.

Vincent glared at the reaper before speaking, "You. You're trying to convince The Undertaker to go back to wherever it is you came from. I won't allow that. You're a nuisance.  **Leave**."

"I have no intention of giving him up," Xerxes glared back. "Besides, wouldn't it be better for him to leave anyway? He'll just cause you and your family nothing but trouble. He is of no benefit to you. You already have that demon, why do you need a reaper too?"

"The demon is temporary. I am going to ask him to leave after the wedding, if he hasn't already left. I was doing him a favor, that's all," Vincent slung his arm around The Undertaker's neck and poked his cheek. "This undertaker is a different matter entirely. He is a man of much importance to me, and I won't have the likes of  _you_  interfering with our relationship." The Undertaker blushed slightly at this statement. He knew Vincent probably meant it in a different way than what he was thinking, but he enjoyed the words anyway.

"Do you really feel that you have the right to say that knowing you are to marry?" Xerxes was becoming more and more impatient with these two. He just wanted to take Adrian back with him so he could do what he was meant to: collect the souls of those who've died.

"My marriage has nothing to do with my feelings for The Undertaker," Vincent huffed, bringing The Undertaker closer to him. The ex-reaper thought for sure Vincent would feel the pounding of his heart in his chest but did not refuse the embrace.

Xerxes was a stubborn man, but he did know when a fight was meaningless. "It doesn't matter how long I annoy you, does it? You'll still choose to stay here as long as this man is alive. Is that right, Crevan?" The Undertaker nodded in agreement. That was indeed the case. "Then I suppose I should take my leave. I'll have to come back in a few years, after this guy is long deceased. Then maybe, you'll finally return to the straight and narrow," Xerxes tapped his cane on the ground twice and disappeared into thin air.

Vincent sighed. "He is finally gone," he said, releasing The Undertaker. "I feel bad for you, you'll have to deal with him again sometime in the future."

"Y-yeah," The Undertaker replied. He was still blushing but his expression changed when he asked, "is it true that you're getting married?"

"Yep," Vincent said looking up at the hole, "Michael didn't fix it like I asked him too." He had tried to change the subject, but it wasn't working. The thought of Vincent getting married still plagued the ex-reaper's mind. The Undertaker looked at the floor. He knew that they would never be in a relationship like that, he knew, but it still hurt him. It hurt him to know that all hope he had had been lost entirely. His body started to react on its own and he couldn't stop the tears from falling. He was able to suppress most of them, but a few still escaped him.

"Y-you do know how I feel, don't you?" The Undertaker forced his words to come out evenly. His voice still cracked in some places but, for the most part, he controlled it.

"It would be hard not to, since you have watched over me for so long," Vincent wiped away some of the tears with his finger and smiled softly at the ex-reaper. This only caused The Undertaker to cry more.

"How can you look at me like that? How can you say such nice things? You're going to leave me. You're going to have a family of your own and I'll be left with my unrequited emotions. What do you have to say for yourself?" The Undertaker snapped. He was losing more and more of his composure.

"They aren't unrequited."

"You're cruel, Mr. Phantomhive, you're  _very_ cruel, do you know that? Saying such a thing at a time like this! What kind of man are you?!"

"I'm sorry. I know it's too late to say that it would've been fine under different circumstances, but we can't be together because I need to have an heir. I'm sorry, I'm really very sorry," Vincent had lost his happy-go-lucky voice. His emotions were starting to get the best of him too.

"Don't apologize," The Undertaker forced a smile, "I already knew that it could never be, I knew but I-" he choked on his words before he could find the rest of them to say.

"Don't say it like you regret it! I don't want you to regret it!" Vincent couldn't stop himself from crying any longer. He wasn't good at suppressing his emotions like The Undertaker. Once his tears started, they kept coming.

"Well, what is the point in it? If I know it'll never be?" The Undertaker was still looking at the floor.

"Look at me," Vincent said. The Undertaker shook his head. He didn't want to. He didn't want to see Vincent's face. That lovely face. It was truly the definition of 'love at first sight.'

"Look. At. Me." he tried again. The Undertaker still refused. Vincent got a little impatient so he forced the ex-reaper up against the wall. Unfortunately, the wall happened to be a coffin and that coffin closed and locked the two of them inside it.

"Vincent!" The Undertaker scolded.

"It wasn't like I planned to be locked in a small area with you! Although it is quite the turn-on," Vincent shuffled around trying to find a more comfortable spot, in doing so his knee brushed up against The Undertaker's lower regions.

"V-Vincent!" the ex-reaper said, trying to ignore what just happened. "I swear if I find a scratch on this coffin when we get out..."

"Oh, so  _that_  is what you were worried about? Do you really make such fragile coffins that closing the lid like that would break it?" Vincent teased. "Why do you always wear such loose clothing, Undertaker? I can see your chest."

"I do  _not_  wear loose clothing. You just unbuttoned my collar! Of course you can see my chest!"

"I can't see anything it's too dark in here," Vincent rebutted.

"Then why bother undressing me?!" Vincent didn't have a good reason for that question so the conversation ended. They just stared at each other as the dim light emitting from The Undertaker's eyes.

"How is it possible that your eyes can glow?"

"Maybe you're just imagining it."

Vincent frowned and wrapped his arms around The Undertaker.

"W-what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh shut up, it's uncomfortable being in such a small space with someone else. We might as well make the most of it," Vincent said. The Undertaker shut his mouth. He didn't know what that was supposed to mean but he didn't want to find out.

The Undertaker could feel the heat of Vincent's breathing on his neck. The closeness of the two sent chills down his spine. How were they going to get out of there? This coffin had a latch that locked it when the lid closed. The Undertaker didn't want to have to punch  _another_  hole in one of his finished coffins, but that was becoming the only way out of this situation.

"How are we going to get out of here?" the ex-reaper said.

"Can't we just push the lid open?"

"No, there is a latch."

Vincent started laughing hysterically. The Undertaker could feel his stomach moving in and out with each laugh, "Why on earth would you put a  _lock_  on a  _coffin_? Are you afraid the body is going to get out and walk away?"

The Undertaker blushed from embarrassment. It really didn't make much sense. "I'm sure at the time I had a very good reason. Maybe I was plotting to get locked in a coffin with you," he huffed.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?"

"Shut up, you aren't sorry at all. You're still laughing."

"You should laugh too. How sad would it be, should laughter disappear?" Vincent said. "Are you ticklish?" he questioned, attempting to find The Undertaker's sensitive spot.

"If I was ticklish, I wouldn't need  _you_  to tell me dirty limericks as a payment," The Undertaker frowned.

"Oh come on,  _everyone_  is ticklish. I just have to find the right spot," the soon-to-be earl ran his hands along every inch of The Undertaker's body in hopes of finding his ticklish spot.

"I would much appreciate it if you stopped that," the ex-reaper complained.

"I'm sure you would," he said, ignoring the request to stop. The one place he hadn't tried yet was the neck.

Vincent blew on The Undertaker's neck causing him to squirm. "Well, this wasn't exactly the kind of ticklish I was looking for, but I'm finding it very satisfactory," the soon-to-be earl grinned.

"You leave me and my neck alone," The Undertaker threatened.

"Or you'll do what?"

"Or I'll..." The Undertaker tried to think of something that would convince Vincent to stop, but nothing was coming to mind fast enough.

"That's what I thought," Vincent smirked triumphantly.

Vincent crashed his lips into The Undertaker's and they began to kiss. For a short while, The Undertaker kissed back. The ex-reaper was caught up in the moment and forgot about the original reason for his earlier sadness. The two continued to kiss each other. The Undertaker knew that it wouldn't last long, his sanity would soon come back to him, but for the time being he would forget about reason. He would forget about the fiancée and the fact that they were both males. He would forget that Vincent would only ever come to see him about business matters in the future. He would forget all of those things and just enjoy this dim coffin close to the guy he'd grown attached to; the human that changed his life.

Reason began to sneak its way into the mind of the ex-reaper, and he finally broke the kiss. Confused and disappointed, Vincent stared at him.

"You have a fiancée and your wedding is close. We have to stop this. You know that, don't you? That's why you're doing this in the first place."

"You're wrong, I am not doing this as a last hurrah before my marriage to Rachel. I really  _do_  care for you," Vincent spoke.

"I want to believe you bu-"

"Then just believe me!"

"It doesn't matter if you are genuine or not. We can't do this!" The Undertaker gently nudged Vincent away. That gentle nudge wasn't as gentle as he thought, and the coffin tipped on its side. The latch broke and the two tumbled out onto the floor.

"So this is it, is it?" Vincent asked. The Undertaker nodded. "I don't want this to be it!" Vincent cried.

"And do you think that I do?!" The Undertaker raised his voice unintentionally. The sun had already set some time ago, so the room was just as dark as the coffin had been. Light shined in from the moon through the hole in the ceiling. Their eyes had already adjusted enough so that they could see each other clearly.

"No," Vincent began, "you're right, I'm sorry," he said, avoiding eye contact.

"It's already very late, so you should probably stay the night. You can use my bed even though it isn't that comfy," the ex-reaper offered, getting off of the floor.

"Where will you sleep?" Vincent asked, as he stood up too.

"Someplace, I don't know."

"We could share the bed," Vincent offered, earning him a skeptical look from The Undertaker.

"Don't look at me like that! Do you really think that I would do something after you just outright told me not to?! No, wait, don't answer that," the blue haired male put his head in his hand and sighed.

"I'm not sure how I feel about sharing yet  _another_  cramped area with you, but I don't want you to feel guilty about me sleeping elsewhere," The Undertaker concluded.

Vincent's eyes lit up upon hearing those words, "So you will?"

"Make another face like that and I'll change my mind," The Undertaker huffed and went into his bedroom. Vincent followed behind. The two slept soundly in each other's arms, (purely for comfort reasons of course) that night knowing it would be the last time the opportunity would arise for them. The Undertaker also made a mental note to himself never to make a coffin where the lid was connected to the base ever again, (and to exclude the latches).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to take out the "locked in the coffin" scene but I couldn't help myself...I had to leave it in because it made me laugh too much. Forgive my terrible sense of humor.


	7. That Mortician; Desperate

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Vincent Phantomhive and Rachel Dalles in holy matrimony," the minister began. The Undertaker had attended this wedding even though he didn't wish to be here. Perhaps, he had gone just because he had received an invitation and had nothing better to do with his time than to watch his Vincent commit himself to another. The ex-reaper even took the time to dress up for this event. He felt stupid. Incredibly stupid.

He sighed and continued to listen to the minister. The wedding seemed to go on for ages. He could only watch the clock in hopes that time would just fast-forward. It didn't though, so he had to entertain himself in other ways. The Undertaker looked around at all the people who had come to this wedding. One in particular stood out, since she was dressed in all red. In time, that individual would have to make a choice that would influence her death. The ex-reaper could sense this sort of thing. Remembering the demon, The Undertaker looked around some more. Michael was nowhere to be seen. He made a mental note to ask about him, (providing that he ever had the chance to talk to Vincent).

The service had finally ended and the large mass of guests swarmed around the newlyweds. They offered their congratulations, and the real important ones made their way to the reception. The Undertaker thought that this would be the perfect time to slip away, but part of him forced him to stay. He came here to at  _least_  have small talk with Vincent; he must see that through.

"You there," someone said. "Who're you?"

The Undertaker looked around trying to figure out where the voice came from. The individual grabbed his arm to try and get his attention. The Undertaker recognized him by his scowl and eyebrows. This was one of Vincent's acquaintances from his youth. "Oh, you were talking to me?" The Undertaker grinned. He was trying to smile but failed and it seemed more condescending instead. This was a problem he'd developed recently.

This was a problem he had developed recently, (although he never tried smiling before so he probably always had this issue).

"Who are you? Do you know Vincent? I've never seen you before," the man fired off one question after another. These two men both had problems when it came to dealing with people. Poor social skills for the win.

"Are you harassing my guests again, Diedrich?" Vincent asked, walking over to the two.

"I'm not! I'm just asking who he is," he said, pointing to The Undertaker.

"The Undertaker," the ex-reaper answered. "That's who I am."

"What is an undertaker doing at a wedding?" he asked.

"Well, obviously he was invited by me, wasn't he?" Vincent said.

"But why would yo-" Diedrich began.

"Stop asking questions and just accept that I have weird friends, yourself included," Vincent placed his hands on Diedrich's shoulders and escorted him out the church's doors. "Just make your way to the reception and I'll see if I feel like explaining it to you then," he said, slamming the doors in his friend's face.

Vincent turned back to The Undertaker and smiled, "I'm glad you could make it. Are you staying for the reception too?"

"I had thought about it, but now I'm reconsidering. I stand out a lot and people would ask questions like that man," The Undertaker answered. He didn't even want to attend the wedding, there was no way he would want to attend the reception either. But, at least now he was finally getting the chance to talk to Vincent. That was a plus.

"Nonsense, you should stay! Vincent has told me all about you, and I'm excited to get to know you better," the bride joined in on the conversation. She was quite beautiful and looked good next to her handsome groom.

"Oh?" he said, a bit confused. The Undertaker was surprised that Vincent had talked about him at all.

"Don't embarrass me in front of the guests!" Vincent puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.

"I didn't think something like that would embarrass you," Rachel replied. "You two are close, aren't you? How come we haven't met before?"

"I usually don't go out much because of my work," The Undertaker responded. That was only partially true. Why would he want to meet this girl? The very same woman that stole his Vincent from him. If he wasn't careful, he might end up hurting her, or worse.

"It must have been a lot for you to even come to this wedding. I'm so sorry for trying to get you to stay. Are you too busy for the reception?" Rachel apologized. She looked very distressed.

"Ah, well, no, but..." The Undertaker felt a little guilty for making her sad. He didn't want to get guilted into going but, at this rate, he would be dragged there.

"So, you will come?" her face lit up. This girl was so easy to read, unlike her husband.

"Mhmm..." he finally committed.

"Did you hear that Vincent? He is going to stay!" she said enthusiastically. Rachel smiled warmly at her success.

"Is that so?" Vincent had been silent for a while, which caused The Undertaker to become concerned. What was going on in that head of his? Would The Undertaker ever master the ability to tell?

"Shall we make our way together to the reception?" Rachel suggested.

"No, you go on ahead, I have something that I need to ask my friend here," Vincent said. Rachel seemed a little disappointed but she didn't refuse.

When Vincent was sure that Rachel and the rest of his guests were long gone, he turned his attention back to The Undertaker. "I have something that I need to ask you," he said in a low tone. The Undertaker was even more concerned now. Vincent wasn't acting like himself. Or maybe he was? The Undertaker remembered their reunion. Vincent seemed so distant when he met him as an undertaker for the first time. Had he just been neglecting to see this side of his favorite human?

"I want you to join the Aristocrats of Evil. You aren't exactly a nobleman, but you are one of the few people I trust. Will you do it?" Vincent asked.

"You want me to join your club of villainous nobles? Where is this coming from?"

Vincent sighed and closed his eyes briefly before replying, "As you know, I'm going to be the Queen's watchdog. I need a group of people to help me eradicate Her Highness' nuisances."

"You know how I feel about the Queen so, why are you asking me to help?" there had to be more to what Vincent was asking, but The Undertaker couldn't figure it out yet.

"Rachel and I plan to have a child. My time is running out. If I should die before I even see my child grow up, I need someone like you to be the family's friend and help him. Please, would you accept?" Vincent was serious about this. The Undertaker was even more shocked at this request. Him asking this was just a way to provide an excuse for The Undertaker to be close to his family and look after them. How far had he thought this through?

"You know that I would do anything you asked. Why are you so worried I'll refuse?" Vincent's relief showed on his face as he heard those words.

"It's just...Michael disappeared after just leaving a note. I couldn't say goodbye properly to him. I'm glad that I still have you around, but I'm also afraid I might lose you too, one day."

"Are you honestly afraid that I might disappear?"

"You can never be too careful with things that aren't human," Vincent smiled.

"Still, I am amazed, or shocked rather, that you are thinking about your death so soon after getting married."

"Ah, about that, I've had a recurring dream lately. I can't quite place my finger on why, but I feel that dream is how I'm going to die. When I wake up, I forget the specifics, but it all feels so real when I'm having it. Is that normal? Is this just what every human feels when their time is almost gone?"

"Well, you are the only human I know who had a reaper extending their life. I hope your death isn't worse because of that..." The Undertaker said. "I can't tell you what the other humans feel before they die since, well, I've only ever known you."

"Ah, well, there isn't much to be done about it anyway. We can't change what time has set up. Enough of this dreary talk! This is my wedding day! Let's enjoy the reception," Vincent attempted to smile. The two made their way over to the party; however, neither of them felt like celebrating.

...

"Unytaker," the small boy tried again.

"Undertaker," he corrected. "We are going to see The Undertaker."

"Unytaker!" the boy smiled up at his father. Vincent sighed and gave up trying to correct him.

"You're too lenient with Ciel! When he grows up he'll be a spoiled brat, just you wait," Rachel scolded.

Vincent hugged his child. "Don't say that! He is my precious little darling. He is going to grow up to be a fine man like his father! Just you watch, he is going to be a lady killer!"

"I do hope he doesn't grow up to be like  _you_ ," the mother put her head in her hands. "England would fall under a new rule at that rate."

"Do you have a problem with that?" Vincent huffed.

"Just go already! But be sure to come back before dinner!" Rachel said. And so, Vincent and Ciel left the manor and went to go visit The Undertaker. When they arrived; however, they heard a loud crash from inside. Vincent opened the door in a hurry to find The Undertaker underneath a large bookshelf.

"How did you get like this?"

"Oh, yes, I just lie underneath bookshelves in my free time because I have nothing better to do," The Undertaker rolled his eyes, even though no one could see them. The little boy wandered over to The Undertaker, he took one look at him and ran back to his father in fear.

"Be a good boy Ciel, and help your father clean up this mess," Vincent smiled. The boy relaxed a bit and nodded happily. In no time at all the room was back as it was and The Undertaker was free from his trap.

"So, this is your kid?" The Undertaker asked poking Ciel's cheek. Ciel frowned and hid behind his father again.

"Yes, his name is Ciel. He looks just like me, don't you think?" Vincent picked up his boy and held him up for comparison. Ciel giggled at this event.

"He is a lot cuter than you are, I can tell you that much," The Undertaker said.

"Well, obviously, he is a little kid! I'm just an old man."

"You said it, not me," The Undertaker mumbled under his breath.

"Hey, Ciel," Vincent said, "do you want to see a magic trick?" the boy nodded 'yes'.

Vincent took a step closer to The Undertaker and ran his hand through The Undertaker's hair to force the fringe back and reveal his eyes. Ciel stared in awe at the color and completely forgot his earlier fear. "Pwetty!" Ciel held out his arms for The Undertaker, suggesting that he wanted to be held by him now instead of Vincent.

"Ah, I don't think that is a good idea..." the ex-reaper tried to refuse the child, but Vincent handed him over anyway. Ciel smiled happily and played with The Undertaker's long hair. He ended up creating a messy braid with his fringe so that at least one eye would be visible.

"Oh my, look at the time! Cleaning up The Undertaker's mess took longer than I thought. Come along now, Ciel. We need to get back before your mother murders me," Vincent said. The boy jumped out of The Undertaker's arms and smiled up at him.

"Goodbye Unytaker," he said, before running to his father's side.

"Goodbye Undertaker," Vincent repeated. The two Phantomhives walked hand in hand back to the manor. The Undertaker stared as the door closed. He could only ponder what kind of person Ciel would grow up to be. The Undertaker hoped that he would remain cute, but he had the strangest feeling that Ciel would instead become someone to fear.

...

Vincent Phantomhive had been having reoccurring nightmares. They started back at his wedding and kept getting more and more violent...more and more  _real_. He would often wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Sometimes, he would scream and awaken his wife who slept next to him. Vincent knew that something was wrong but continued to ignore that lingering feeling in the back of his mind.

He would often think of ways to escape his death but he knew that it was time for him to die. He had been running from it too long under the protection of his reaper friend. Granted, he didn't know in the beginning that The Undertaker had done that. He wouldn't have asked him to...or at least he thought he wouldn't. Chances are they probably wouldn't have met if The Undertaker hadn't grown attached to him.

Tonight seemed far worse than other nights. Vincent had gone about his day like any other, except this time he was constantly looking over his shoulder. He sensed something everywhere he went and dreaded the thought that this day would be his last. Who would look after Rachel and Ciel if he died? Who would take care of them? Or worse yet, what if they died because of him?

The manor was eerily quiet. Vincent could hear the whispers of the trees from outside and the working of the servants as they prepared for tomorrow. He lay in his bed and tried to sleep but he just  _couldn't_. Something was keeping him awake.

And then, he heard a noise.

It was a loud crash. Vincent couldn't describe it, but he knew it meant trouble.  _Something_  had happened.  _Someone_  had wanted to destroy him. Of course, that was one of the many dangers of being the Queen's watchdog, you made yourself many enemies. Without his demon living in the manor, Vincent knew nothing could protect him forever.

Vincent hopped out of his bed and rushed to Ciel's room. That was his fatherly instinct. That was what was most important to him. His wife was important too but if he had to choose, he would choose Ciel every time.

He opened the door to his son's room. Ciel was nowhere to be found. "Ciel!" Vincent called out. No response. Whoever wanted Vincent dead also wanted his son too. Vincent dreaded the thought of something terrible happening to him just because he was the son of the Queen's watchdog.

_What should I do? The have taken my son! Where is my son? Is he safe? No, not in their hands he isn't...I shouldn't have left my wife. Where is she? Is she still sleeping? Did she not hear that noise? Why is this happening to me? Why did it have to be like this?_

Vincent scolded himself for being so stupid. He'd had this nightmare over and over again but did nothing to prevent it. He should have done _something_ ,  ** _anything_** , to prevent this disaster, but the dream didn't provide him with enough information and his brain wouldn't remember the details after he woke up.

The earl's life flashed before his eyes. He'd heard about this from The Undertaker. Cinematic records, but there were no reapers around. Is it possible to see your life even if no one is collecting your soul? It must be true since that was happening to him.

Vincent remembered the note that the demon had left him. It said to call him if anything ever arised that he needed help with. Vincent thought it would be worth a try since he was dying anyway.

" ** _Micheal_**." he yelled. The room darkened as the demon appeared.

"What is it, Vincent?" the demon asked before assessing the situation. "Why didn't you summon me sooner?!"

"You know I couldn't do that...."

The demon could sense that Vincent was dying. He could sense that he was about to breathe his last breath. The demon cursed human's fragile existence. This would be the second time he had ever lost someone important to him.

" _Please_..." Vincent's voice was about to leave him. He wanted  _one_  thing in his final moments, just  _one_  thing to let him die in peace. " _Please protect my child_..." he asked, before closing his eyes. He would never open them again. Those were his last words.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry..." the demon repeated those words over and over again to the body before him. Why hadn't he come sooner? Why didn't he know something like this would happen? Why had he left in the first place? He should have stayed here. He should have stayed in the manor. On the other hand, what good was that reaper if he didn't prevent a death like this? The demon couldn't bare to leave Vincent like this. He couldn't bare to leave him at all. The demon had decided to eat Vincent's soul. He wasn't sure he could since Vincent had died, but somehow fate was on his side. He was able to.

The fire crackled around Michael. He knew that it was time he left. He had a promise to keep to his dead friend. Michael left the manor to find Ciel. It wasn't easy but after a while, Ciel found him first and summoned the demon. Over time, his name would change once again and he would become Sebastian Michaelis.

...

The Undertaker watched as his book glowed. The ink showed him that this was destined to happen; that he could no longer protect the life of Vincent Phantomhive. The Undertaker instead wrote himself in as being at the manor too late.

And too late he was.

The building had already been destroyed for the most part. The fire swallowed everything. It destroyed everything. The Undertaker tried to look for Vincent's soul, anyone's soul for that matter, but even that was gone too.

_It's that demon._

The Undertaker could smell the fact that Michael had been there. He knew that Vincent would die, but he couldn't forgive Michael for taking his soul. The fire was burning so hot that not even Vincent's body could be recovered. Michael had stolen the last that remained of Vincent Phantomhive, and The Undertaker would get his revenge one day.

It might not be tomorrow.

It might not be for a couple of years...or even longer.

But one day, The Undertaker would hurt Michael. They would fight a battle to the death and The Undertaker might even win.

The Undertaker didn't know this yet, but he would create the 'Bizarre Dolls' and make an enemy of Michael and his new 'master,' if only briefly.

But that was long to come.

For the moment, The Undertaker could only watch the flames engulf the house of his favorite human. He could only wish for an ending other than this one.

An ending that would never come.

The Undertaker's eyes acted on their own and he started shedding tears without realizing it. In his many years of being a reaper, he had never cried, but this human managed to get tears out of him on two occasions.

"There won't even be bones when this fire is out...just ashes...what on earth am I going to do with ashes?!" The Undertaker cried out at the night sky. This would be the last time he ever allowed himself to feel anything. He would begin to hide his human emotions and put on a mask. He would truly become just an undertaker with an inability to laugh and a strange obsession towards human life. What if there was a way to continue someone's life after their already predetermined death? That question would haunt him. It would eat away at him until, finally, he began to experiment in order to answer that question.

He had no one to stop him now. There was no reason for him to hold back. Even the reapers wouldn't want anything to do with him. The only one remotely interested was Xerxes Break, but he wouldn't come back for many years yet.

"I'm The Undertaker, a deserter, an ex-reaper, and an Aristocrat of Evil. I'm the friend of the late Vincent Phantomhive and one day,  _I will find a way to bring him back_ ," The Undertaker said aloud to himself. He made this vow that night and, for whatever remained of his life, he would attempt to keep it. If there was no one to stop him, or force reason back into his mind, he would continue trying. Silly morals did not matter to him, he only cared about one thing,

_the late earl._


	8. Epilogue

_"Uny," the boy coughed to cover up his mistake, "Undertaker, I believe you know why I am here," the blue haired boy with an eyepatch spoke._

_"Uhuhuhu," The Undertaker chuckled. "Are you finally going to allow me to make a coffin for you? I even pre-ordered some special cushions!~"_

_"Enough fooling around Undertaker! You left out details in the file you sent me!" the young earl was growing frustrated._

_"I did not," The Undertaker grinned and stretched out on his desk, "I told you exactly everything you asked about."_ _The young earl glared at the ex-reaper. He couldn't tell that the man before him was a reaper, but he didn't care. He was just as annoying as his butler, if not more so._

_"You're looking more and more like your father every day, Earl Phantomhive," The Undertaker observed. He was grateful for that. If this child had grown up to look like Rachel, the ex-reaper wouldn't be able to hold himself back from killing him._

_"Don't change the subject!" the earl snapped._

_"You know my price," The Undertaker reminded._

_The earl glared,_ _"Sebastian."_

_"Yes, My Lord, but I must request that you leave the room," the butler bowed. Ciel huffed in annoyance. How hard was it going to be to get the information he desired? The young earl left the shop and waited outside while the two conversed._

_"It has been a while since we have seen each other, Stephy, ah no, you're Sebby now, aren't you?" The Undertaker's cold eyes could just barely be seen through his fringe._

_"Indeed it has, reaper," Sebastian replied on-guard._

_"Oh, don't need to be so uptight. I'm not going to tell the boy anything about you. He can just order you to give him any information he wants, should he want it," The Undertaker waved his sleeve around and smiled._

_"Then what did you want?"_

_"The opportunity never arose for me to scold you," The Undertaker stood up and walked over to the butler. They were eye-to-eye now._

_"Scold me? For what?" he asked._

_"I believe I told you when Vincent brought you here, did you forget what I said?" The Undertaker tried to jog his memory. He grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer._ _"I believe it went something like...'I let you have Leic, but if you ever do **anything**  to harm this human, I  **will**  come after you.'" _

_"I never hurt Vincent!" the butler defended himself._

_"You took his soul, I don't care if he was already dying! You took his soul, and for that, I'll take your memories of Leic. It's not much of a punishment but, for now, it'll do. Expect more from me in the future."_

_"You can't do that! The memories are all I have left of Leic!" the butler raised his voice._

_"And that soul was all I had left of Vincent," The Undertaker placed his hand on Sebastian's head, it started to glow as he searched for what he wished to take. The demon fell unconscious during this event. The Undertaker wished he could have done more to hurt the demon, but it wasn't the right time._

_The demon awoke forgetting everything that had happened. All he remembered of that confrontation was that he had to get The Undertaker to laugh. The Undertaker looked at the demon's confusion and a laugh forced it's way out._ _The Undertaker laughed long and hard._

_Ciel heard him and decided it was okay to enter again._ _"Undertaker! The information," the boy demanded. T_ _he Undertaker ignored his demands and continued to laugh. The dumbfounded expressions on the young earl and his butler certainly weren't helping him stop his fit._

_"This man is insane," the boy muttered._

_"I quite agree that, he is a bit on the strange side," the butler replied._

_"What exactly made him this way?"_

_"Perhaps he was born crazy...?"_

_"Or perhaps crazy was born him..."_

_"That doesn't make any sense, Young Master."_

_"Oh, shut up! You know what I meant!"_

_The Undertaker watched as the two bickered. It reminded him of Diedrich and Vincent. The ex-reaper interrupted them and gave them what they came for. They left shortly after giving their thanks._

_The Undertaker went into the back of his shop and began talking to himself, "Now I can continue my work," he said._ _He grabbed some of the extra wood that couldn't be used for coffins and began to make sotoba. Of course, he wouldn't use them for what they were meant for, (other than carving the names of the people he had buried) instead, he would hide them and use them as backup weapons._

_The Undertaker didn't have many hobbies to occupy him in his spare time and was often alone._ _Being alone is one of the most dangerous things,_ _because no one can stop you from your own mind._

_The Undertaker hummed to himself as he thought of all the ways he should continue to test the human life cycle. That was his life now...running errands for the Earl Phantomhive by day and testing humans by night._

_And he couldn't imagine it any other way._


End file.
